Public, private, and reference animals

Every animal on Creatures is one of three kinds, and the kind decides who can see it and what it is for. This article explains all three so you can choose the right one and know what changing it does.

Public (the default for an owned animal)

A public animal is visible to everyone.

• What it is: the standard, open profile an owned animal gets unless you choose otherwise.
• Who can see it: anyone. It appears in search, in the public herdbook, on your Creatures website, and across the community.
• What people see: the profile and its public records, photos, and pedigree.
• The implication: public is how an animal is discovered, so it is the right choice for any animal you want followers, buyers, or a registry to find. Public visibility is also what ties an animal into the herdbook and the breeder directory.

Private (owned animals only)

A private animal is hidden from the public.

• What it is: an owned animal you have marked private, so it is yours to see and build on without being public yet.
• Who can see it: only you, your team and co-owners, any active stewards, and the specific marketplace or group buyers you are actively transacting with. The implication: a private animal is hidden from search and the herdbook, and its records and pedigree are not public.
• How to set it: toggle it from the profile, or tick "Make this animal private" when you create it. The implication: you can flip an animal private or public as your plans change.
• The limits to know: you cannot make an animal private while it has an active marketplace listing or a stewardship offering (you would end those first). Turning an animal private also schedules any active stewardships to end and notifies the stewards. The implication: privacy and active public commitments cannot coexist, so close the commitment before you hide the animal. (You can also place an animal in someone else's care through Stewardship, which is one of those public commitments.)

Reference (an animal you do not own)

A reference animal is a profile you create for an animal you do not own, so you can document lineage.

• What it is: a stand-in for an ancestor or another breeder's animal, created to record a pedigree relationship.
• Who it belongs to: no one yet. It has no owner, carries a reference badge, and can hold a pedigree.
• What can happen to it: the animal's real owner can claim it later and turn it into their own owned profile.
• The key rule: a reference animal cannot be made private. The privacy toggle is blocked on a reference animal, and the private checkbox does not appear when you create one. The implication: reference profiles are inherently public stand-ins, so do not plan to hide one. Creating a reference and inviting its owner is covered in Reference animals: documenting lineage and inviting the owner, and claiming one in Claiming a reference animal someone created for you.

Choosing the kind

The decision is short:

• You own it and want it seen: public.
• You own it but want it off search for now: private.
• You do not own it but want it in a pedigree: reference.

To share access to a public or private animal you own, see Co-owners and team members: sharing access to an animal. To add any animal in the first place, see Adding an animal to Creatures.

Related information

• Reference animals: documenting lineage and inviting the owner
• Co-owners and team members: sharing access to an animal
• Adding an animal to Creatures

Updated on: 23/06/2026